


The Science of Disaster

by orphan_account



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff & Angst, Gen, Gym Leader Bede, Gym Leader Marnie - Freeform, Leon's Protege Gloria, M/M, Original "Evil" Team, Original Character(s), Pokemon Sword & Shield Spoilers, Professor's Assistant Hop, Scottish Gloria, Slow Burn, Two Years Post Cannon, champion victor, except trainsshipping, no beta we die like men, there will be a few ships but they're mostly minor and unimportant to the plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22551268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It’s the second year Victor is defending his title as Galar Champion. Everyone has begun to settle into their path and things are going well. The Gym Challenge has recently begun, and seemingly without a hitch....seemingly.A dark time looms on the horizon of Galar — darker even, perhaps, than the Darkest Day itself. A new threat arises from the corners of the known world, and the region is defenseless to stop this unknown and powerful enemy.(Rated Teen and Up for mild language.)
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Hop/Masaru | Victor, Mary | Marnie/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 7
Kudos: 37





	1. Breaking— er, Burning News

**Author's Note:**

> Hello my fabulous reader and welcome to the inevitable shitshow :)
> 
> Okay, I’m just kidding. 
> 
> Hello reader haha. What started as a vague desire to add to gay Pokémon fanfiction turned into a full plot, campaign, and cast of original characters in addition to old ones in a Pokémon fanfic the like I’ve never seen before (you might have, I don’t know. I really don’t).
> 
> This chapter is merely a prefacing, setup-kind-of-a-chapter, which is why it’s relatively short. I’m also working out of a period of relative writer’s block, so there’s that too. Chapters should get longer soon :’)
> 
> Anyway, sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my fabulous reader and welcome to the inevitable shitshow :)
> 
> Okay, I’m just kidding.
> 
> Hello reader haha. What started as a vague desire to add to gay Pokémon fanfiction turned into a full plot, campaign, and cast of original characters in addition to old ones in a Pokémon fanfic the like I’ve never seen before (you might have, I don’t know. I really don’t).
> 
> This chapter is merely a prefacing, setup-kind-of-a-chapter, which is why it’s relatively short. I’m also working out of a period of relative writer’s block, so there’s that too. Chapters should get longer soon :’)
> 
> Anyway, sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy.

Everything had seemed so normal that day.

Maybe not the best, sure, but normal nonetheless.

The problems of the day seemed like they would all end eventually.

They seemed to all be problems that could be fixed and everything would return to the way it was afterwards.

But, for better or for worse, that day would end up far from normal.

────── {. ⋅ ♔ ⋅ .}  ──────

It was just one of those rainy days in the Wild Area. One of those days where your shoes sank into the mud and your clothes plastered cold and wet against your skin. Lightning flashes illuminated everything like a malfunctioning flashlight and thunder claps sounded so close they made your soul rattle. Even the Pokémon that usually frolicked in the area were hiding away, replaced only by joyous water and electric types. Given the low visibility and the ever increasing darkness of the afternoon, the fact that the two friends could even barely see Motostoke from their tent was an apparent miracle.

"Seems like Marnie and Gloria had the right idea," Hop chuckled.

The four friends—Hop, Victor , Gloria, and Marnie—had decided to go out camping in the Wild Area the day before. The group had invited Bede as well, but he declined so that he could finish preparations for his gym now that the season had begun. The two girls had decided to return to Hammerlocke that morning after waking up. Fair enough, Marnie had wanted to spend a little more time shopping before Challengers started to arrive at Spikemuth, and Gloria had been more than happy to join in on the fun.

Vic and Hop had been enjoying it out in the wild though, and decided to stay until later in the afternoon. This was Victor’s first break from his constant duties as champion in quite a long time after all, and Sonia had given Hop a few days off to spent with his friends. Now the two were trapped thanks to the raging thunderstorm that seemed to have picked up out of nowhere.

Victor looked out across the massive lake that blocked their most direct path to the nearest city with a sigh. "You aren’t kidding. I’d almost prefer to let Gloria’s Gardevoir shove a sparkly sweater on me than be stranded out here."

"Hey!" joked Hop. "It can’t be all bad! You have me after all!"

"...what...is that... supposed to mean?" Vic asked, shooting Hop a very confused look. He was soaking wet, since he had been out in the midst of the plains away from any kind of natural cover when it started pouring. Hop got lucky by watching him from under a rocky overhang. Victor’s hat was almost sad, and his usual curly swoosh of dark hair was plastered against his face. He looked like a wet puppy.

To his credit, Hop was just as confused as Victor was. The situation they were in was... pretty-not-good. His Cinderace and Dubwool were too fatigued from fighting in the rain to continue battling, and his Corviknight wasn’t faring much better. Victor’s poor Alcremie had fainted, so they really needed to get it to a Pokémon Center as soon as possible. His Inteleon was looking after it right now. They had stupidly decided not to bring full teams, so now they’d have to wait the storm out enough that the taxis were functioning again or risk running into a wild water type in its natural element.

"I don’t know,” Hop finally sputtered. "I’m just freakin’ out! Can’t you do something Champion-y to get us to Motostoke?! It’s right there, I can see it!"

"Unless you want to go swimming, in the rain, in a lake full of— oh wonderful, it that a Gyarados?"

"Fine! You have a point! But surely there’s something we can do? Gloria and Marnie might be so worried! Heck, you’re the bloody Champion! The entire REGION could be flipping out right n—"

"Hop," Victor softly interrupted, taking his hand and pulling him away from the slightly open slip of the tent. Hop’s face was dripping with rainwater from looking outside. Victor wiped it off with his sleeve. Okay, well, he tried to. His sleeve was so damp it really didn’t help much, but Hop appreciates the gesture. "We’re perfectly safe. I’ll protect you if it comes down to it. So calm down. Breathe."

"I AM breathing!" Hop protested.

"Not calmly. Just...” Vic placed Hop’s hand against his chest. The two has been friends since childhood after all. Victor had done this with Hop before when he freaked out, which happened often when they were kids and Hop would hear about Leon going into some dangerous situation. He always had cared very deeply. "Breathe when I breathe."

Hop nodded, sitting down beside Vic and paying attention to the rise and fall of his chest, using that to slow and model his own breathing after. He hadn’t even realized how panicked he’d been until his heartbeat finally started to slow.

"Good," Victor said. "Now we’re gonna stay here, and we’re gonna not freak out, okay?"

"Alright. Yeah. No freakin out. Got it."

────── {. ⋅ ♔ ⋅ .}  ────── 

Hop had a few more freak outs before a Corviknight taxi finally came for them at least an hour later. The rain had finally settled into a drizzle, and the Wild Area was being searched for stray trainers and challengers after the surprise storm. 

League staff brought the two personally to the Motostoke Pokémon center, where they were given blankets to dry off and warm up. It took awhile to chase all of Vic’s fanatic fans off, but now the two of them got to relax in the warmth of the center. Nurse Joy was already taking care of their injured Pokémon, and assured the two trainers that they would all be just fine.

"...cold," said Victor, finally breaking the silence that had settled over the break room of the center. No one else was in there except for the two of them. His gray beanie was off for what felt like the first time, and damp strands of brown hair dripped down his face. He tugged the towel closer around his shoulders like a blanket.

"It is cold," Hop confirmed with a laugh. "We just got in from the storm like fifteen minutes ago." 

"Cold," Victor said again, scooting closer to Hop’s side and laying his head on his friend’s shoulder.

_ Cute_, thought Hop, followed immediately by  _ Where did that thought COME FROM? _

He did not voice either thought. He did, however, let his friend remain leaned on his shoulder, absently watching the television as it aired the battles of current gym challengers against Milo.

The announcers droned on through the speakers as they always did. Hop had always listened to them so intently. Now that he’d been through the challenge himself though, the novelty of it had worn off. "Challenger 644 sends out— woah, what is that Pokémon?” 

...huh?

"Heh, would you look at that! It looks like a Unovan Dewott gone fire type!"

Hop and Victor looked at each other, and then at the screen in unison. Indeed, there was quite an interesting scene on display on Turfield stadium’s pitch. A female trainer, who couldn’t even have been quite 18 yet, was currently up against Milo, and his Dynamax Eldegoss had run out of time just as it took the challenger’s previous Pokémon out. The girl had orange hair that curled around her face and determined eyes, and looked as Unovan as her team selection suggested. 

That wasn’t the strange part. Challengers from different regions attempted the Galarian Gym Challenge all the time.

The weird part was the girl’s Pokémon. It was identifiable enough as a Dewott, despite the fact that those were rarely seen even in their home region of Unova, much less in Galar. Hop had only ever seen them in books before. But... Dewott was a water type. It wasn’t supposed to be red and orange and white, with flames around it like the fur of a coat. 

Right?

"Blimey, have you ever seen this before?" a second announcer chimed in.

"I have not!" exclaimed the first. At this point, the roar of the crowd was so deafening it was nearly drowning them out. 

The girl stood up determinedly before bringing her arms around her in an arc. It was clear from looking at her that she was fighting through stage fright herself, but she was pushing through it excellently. A blur of white could be seen on her wrist as she moved. A band, not unlike the ones that the Galarians used to Dynamax. "Alright, Dewott! J-just like we practiced!" the girl shouted, pushing her arms up like a rising flame and landing in a pose of some kind. "Inferno Overdrive!"

A bright red glitter pulled energy into it from within the grip of Dewott’s hand. A Z-Crystal. From the Alola region. How... did a girl from Unova even get that?! "Dew!" it cried, a fireball charging in its other palm. Milo, his Eldegoss, and the rest of the crowd watched in stunned silence. Dewott’s power shot with the force of a hundred Flamethrowers towards Eldegoss, who panicked but would never be able to get out of the way in time. The flames stuck the poor grass-type and blew, the explosion expanding through the stadium. Hop could’ve sworn he could feel the heat of the blast through the television.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the grass in the stadium around Eldegoss had been completely scorched in a few-meter radius. The stadium was more silent than Hop had ever seen it, and he’d watched every match since even before Leon had become champion. He’d never seen a scene quite like that. Was that... the power of a Z-Move? A move with that much raw power could wreak havoc on any battle. Then the stadium erupted—no irony intended—in ruckus applause.

"I’ve never seen anything like it!" one of the announcers claimed in obvious exhilaration. Onscreen, Milo grimaced as he returned Eldegoss to its Pokéball and then turned to reward the challenger with a badge. "After a performance like that, I’m sure all the fans will be keeping their eyes on Challenger 644, Zoe of the Unova region!"

The other announcer took up the mic. "This sure is the year of out-of-region challengers! We’ve got more than ever recorded before in Galarian history! Plus, Zoe’s was even more impressive than her brother’s show! Not that the last kid was made for the spotlight, but if Challenger 643 wasn’t impressive—"

"And that’s our time!" the first interrupted. "Now over to our ad break. Be sure to tune in for the next challenge, all of you watching at home—!"

Victor turned off the television. Hop looked over at him, the astonished look on his face looking like it’d be effective against ghosts.

Victor flopped against Hop’s lap. "Looks like I’m gonna need to watch out for that one," he mumbled.

"You aren’t kidding." Hop laughed nervously, until he looked down and saw the worried expression on his friend’s face as he bit his lip. Oh no. Oh no he didn’t. Hop knew that look, and he’d be damned if he let his friend go down it. "H-hey. Look. You’re the strongest champion this region has ever known. You defended your position last season like it was nothing. You’re even more undefeated than my brother. You can do this, I believe in you." He tried his best to reassure Victor. He believed in Victor with all his heart. He just had to convince Vic that he should believe in himself. Hop knew from personal experience how hard that could be... and how self-doubt had just bred more self-doubt... 

"...t-thanks Hop. You’ve always had my back. Plus, how could I fail with my best friend there for me?" He smiled wearily and sat back up, discarding the towel around his shoulders, since he was mostly dry now, in favor of hanging it over a rack. Hop almost replied when the Rotom Phone in Victor’s adorably obnoxious bag began ringing. Vic stared at it for a moment before he sighed, relented, and answered it.

"Oi! Lil’ brither! Did ye see th’ match on th’ telly? Those twins wrecked Milo almost as gud as we had!" Gloria’s heavily accented voice boomed through the phone. Hop had always thought it was a little funny just how differently Gloria and Victor’s accents ended up just because Gloria used to spend more time with the twins’ aunt as a child. 

"We missed the first one," Vic admitted to the blank-faced Rotom. "But that girl... Zoe I think? ...Gloria, what kind of fucking Dewott was THAT?”

"Ah, ye don’t kno eitha. Fuckin’... Marnie an’ I are stumped tae. Th’ gal’s brither, Zach, he hud somethin’ I’ve ne'er seen ‘efore tae. Some kinna Fennekin/Vulpix fusion I think?"

"...a what?"

"A fookin’, fusion, I swear it ya hear? ‘E calle’ it ae Fennepix!"

"No, that’s not what I... I believe you but..."

Hop interrupted, nervous energy having been eating at him since before the conversation began. "But HOW? Pokémon fusion is something I’ve only ever heard of in fiction books! And I’ve been working for Sonia for almost two years!"

"We don’t know, Hop." This time, it was Marnie’s stoic voice on the other end of the Rotom. "I’ve already messaged my brother and Bede, and Gloria called Leon, Raihan, and Milo. We’ll be meeting in the Hammerlock Battle Cafe for dinner tonight to discuss it. Seven o’clock on the dot, y’all hear?"

"Got it," Vic assured, "We’ll be there."

"We hear you loud and clear," Hop agreed.

Gloria accuses them with a, "We betta’ see ye thare!" before promptly hanging up the phone.

Rotom flew back into Victor’s bag. Vic looked at Hop, who stared back at him. Neither really knew what to make of the last several minutes. So much had happened, it was hard to keep track of. A Pokémon with an entirely different type than anyone had ever heard of? A fused form of two Pokémon? Mysterious twins from another region? Not to mention the supposed other foreign challengers of the year... 

"I guess we’d better not miss dinner."


	2. Plans Built On Uncertainty— Better Than No Plan?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of the main cast meets up to discuss their options. A mysterious new character is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings my fabulous readers! I cannot describe how exited I was to see all of the reads I got :0 all of your hits and kudos and aaahctvtchfyg y’all made me so happi thank you
> 
> Okay so this chapter is both shorter and took longer than I wanted, so here’s hoping I spare the time for more detail for the next chapter (I’m really looking forward to it) and get it published sooner :’)
> 
> Until then, I hope you guys like the addition, even if it feels a little flat and like filler

_ "You did a wonderful job out there today. Both of you." _

_ "Thank y-you sir!" _

_ "We don’t report to you, old man. Where is—" _

_ "I’m afraid that Colress is working on a mission, and cannot be here right now. Please try to understand." _

_ "Why you— he swore he’d be here. You swore you’d let him be here." _

_ "P-poor Colress... we never get to see him anymore... is he o-okay?" _

_ "He is fine, you two. Just focus on the gym challenge. We all know we can’t trust my Arceus-forsaken son to do anything right." _

_ "A-awe... b-but I like Alika... he’s n-nice..." _

_ "Never mind him. Focus on the challenge until we have another mission for you." _

_ "But—" _

_ "Affirmative. Tch. Let’s go, Zoe." _

_ "...a-alright." _

────── {. ⋅ ♔ ⋅ .}  ──────

Hammerlocke Battle Cafe had never been so quiet.

Everyone at the largest of the tables the cafe had to offer (though it was actually the largest and second largest tables pushed together) was deep in thought. The rest of the cafe patrons were silent in awe. What else could be expected when the group contained the Champion, former Champion, his protege, the region’s professor, her assistant, and several gym leaders were all gathered in one place and sharing a very awkward meal.

"...so." Hop said. The silence had clearly become too much, suffocating his energy until he couldn’t help but speak up. His face flushed in embarrassment and he took a bite of his sandwich to keep himself from saying anything else he’d regret.

"Sooooo," Leon repeated, drawing out the one syllable in the word. He looked just as uncomfortable as his younger brother was. Leon had started to forgo the cape outfit he wore as Champion, though he missed it. The absence its comfort made Leon as fidgety as Hop was. "What... exactly... happened today...?"

Milo cleared his throat before speaking up. "It has been a long time since I was beaten as soundly as I was today. It wasn’t even just Challenger 644. 643 was far from shabby, and same to 242, 387, and 801."

"The strangest thing about the twins was their Pokémon. I checked, double checked, and triple checked every source I could find. I never found a single mention of a Fire-type Dewott, much less a Fennepix," Sonia added thoughtfully as she twirled her hair around her finger. It was so puzzling to her. To all of them really. 

The group lapsed into another silence. Even Gloria wasn’t vying for a chance to speak for once, which was odd for her. Of all the people who might have spoken next, Piers was not who anyone had expected.

"I don’t like this," he stated. "I know there haven’t been many strange instances like this, and only one gym has even been challenged this season so far, but..."

Piers never finished his sentence, but Victor did it for him. "Can’t help but feel like there’s something going on we don’t know."

"Exactly! Something bigger than a few strange battles."

"Whit dae ye expect us tae dae abit it 'en? we can’t jist disqualify those challengers oan plain suspicion," Gloria pointed out in aggravation. "The weans haven’t dane anythin’ yit. Unless someone haes anither idea, we juist hae tae wait this oot ‘n see whit happens."

Leon sighed. He knew his protege was right just as well as the rest of them did. It wasn’t his place to decide anything though, so he looked to Victor to see what the twin had to say.

Vic shrunk into his chair as everyone’s gazes turned to him. Hop laid his hand over Victor’s reassuringly, and his friend offered him a small smile in return. He cleared his throat and spoke up again. "There’s not much I can think to do but wait and see what happens. We just don’t have enough information," he began. Sonia nodded in affirmation. "We don’t even know if anything is actually going on. Gym leaders, just keep your eyes out for anything suspicious. Hop, Gloria, and I can attempt to befriend some of the challengers and see what we can find out about them. Any information anyone finds goes immediately to Sonia. Agreed?"

"Spoken like a Champion," Leon said proudly. "I’m in."

"As am I," nodded Raihan.

Gloria slammed her cup, though it was just water despite how she behaved like it was a mug of beer and she was in a bar rather than a cafe. "’Er all wit’ ya lil brither!" she proclaimed.

Sonia and Hop both beamed at him. The rest of the gym leaders present seemed content with the plan. 

The group finished up their meals in relative ease, each leaving in small groups over the next several minutes, until only the champion and his best friend sat together alone at the large table. Victor visibly deflated once Marnie, Piers, and Gloria left to shop for a few minutes before Gloria would return to Wyndon and the siblings to Spikemuth. Hop looked at his friend in concern. 

"Vic? You okay?"

"Yeah..." Victor replied noncommittally.

Hop didn’t believe him for a moment, and he stated as much. "I don’t believe that. You’re uncertain if you’re making the right decisions, aren’t you?"

Victor gave him a look, then sighed and casted his gaze down. "You know me too well."

"That’s what besties are for!"

Hop smiled and swung his arm over Victor’s shoulder with a contagious smile. The young champion leaned against his side for a few minutes as he calmed down some and allowed the racing thoughts in his mind to dissipate. He didn’t need to worry about any of that right now, not while Hop was here to help and support him.

"Thanks... for always being here for me..."

"Not a problem, Vic! Oh, we should probably get going. Want me to pay?"

"Nah, I’ve got more money than I know what do with. I’ve got you covered too."

Victor paid for the two of them, and the teenagers left the cafe together. They had a job to do. They had to go in and find out firsthand what was going on with the challengers.

Everyone in the cafe watched them leave, but of the handful of others there was an older man, not yet in his 50’s, observing them as carefully as he had with the others. He made a few more marks in a spiral bound notebook in his hand and flipped it closed, putting it away in his pocket. He typed out something on his DexNav, before getting up and departing as well.

_ Let the challengers know to expect some company. Champion. Professor’s assistant. Protege of the Battle Tower. And have my son meet me in my office when he returns. _


	3. Like Father, Unlike Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Challenger 242 is battling through more than the Hulbury Gym. What makes this mysterious, shy trainer stand out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I’ve written so far. It’s easily the most detailed of those posted thus far. It feels a little inconsistent, style-wise, but I’m pretty happy with it. I’m still experimenting a bit with writing solo for the first time in awhile, plus building the plot up subtly.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It’s all from the perspective of an OC that has only been mentioned so far ovo. He will be pretty important later—
> 
> Also, because this chapter is so fucking long given that I wrote and am now posting it from mobile, it hasn’t been edited. I don’t have a beta either, mostly because this is really just something I’m doing for fun and outsourcing help just makes it feel more like work than a hobby. Idk. Hope y’all have as much fun reading as I did writing

The cheers of the crowd were deafening. The boy’s heart threatened to pound out of his chest as he finally emerged to the final obstacle of the Hulbury water type Gym. All he had left to face was the gym leader herself.

He paused before continuing into the open, taking just a couple seconds to steady his breathing. 

Challenger 242 was no one to be intimidated by. He was as small as he felt, and the sheer size of the stadiums far from helped. The blue-purple hair he let grow out covered most of the challenger’s face and the rest was obscured by a navy blue scarf. He adjusted the scarf carefully and glanced down at the Pokéballs clipped to his side over the uniform. Mimikyu’s Duskball wobbled a bit, comfortingly, letting him know it was there and he would be okay.

With a confidence he didn’t know if he really felt or not, the boy stepped out onto the field. This was what he had been waiting for. The opportunity he needed. He couldn’t afford to lose.

The leader emerged opposite of him onto the field with all the confidence a model of her status ought to have. The young challenger felt himself shrinking under Nessa’s unrelenting gaze, but he wouldn’t give up.

The two circled each other in the center of the stadium. "Welcome, honored Gym Challenger," the leader greeted calmly. "I think you already realize, but I’m Nessa. I don't doubt my humble mission's difficulty... yet you cleared it. Your mind as a Pokémon Trainer must be quite refined." The challenger grimaced slightly. The challenge had been more slippery than a puzzle, and he had been thoroughly soaked upon finally clearing the room. Thankfully, these uniforms dried fast.

Nessa paused. "No matter what kind of plan your refined mind may be plotting, my partner and I will be sure to sink it."

The challenger nodded, characteristically quiet.

The two turned, taking their positions on the field, and the challenge began.

The first Pokémon appeared on the stadium, and the crowds cheered louder when they recognized a familiar Goldeen. The challenger hesitated and sent out his Meowstic. Many people in the crowd ooh-ed at the beautiful white Pokémon—they had no idea how much time the psychic type spent grooming its fur to painstaking perfection, something that amused and baffled its trainer to no end.

"Work up!" the challenger called to his Pokémon, muffled through the scarf he wore but understandable to his partner of several years.

"Horn attack!" Nessa called immediately after, already on the offensive.

The challenger grimaced. The Goldeen was fast. But not nearly as fast as Meowstic, who pranced around the fish, only taking two hits of five."Magical leaf!" he called out to his partner, happily sending blades of enchanted grass at the Pokémon that hadn’t had time to pull back from it’s last attack yet.

"Dodge it," Nessa commanded, but her Goldeen didn’t have the space to get away, and the supereffective grass move hit true. The crowd egged on the fight with even louder and more enthusiastic yelling. The fish Pokémon cried out, but stayed in the fight. "Tch... Agility!"

"Future sight." The boy was a bit surprised he was managing to keep a cool head in front of all these people, but that wasn’t a topic for now. He had to focus.

The bright fish swam around its spot in the stadium, gathering speed and closing Meowstic’s advantage over it. The psychic gathered it’s strength, imperceptibly sending a hunk of energy into the near future. The two Pokémon faced each other once again, each backed by little built-up advantages, some more apparent than others.

"Magical leaf, one more time," the challenger called, one hand tangled in the cloth of his scarf for comfort. His little Pokémon complied with a happy trill. 

"Whirlpool, throw the leaves aside!"

The magic infused in the leafy attack wasn’t quite enough to make it throw the whirlpool that grew to encompass both battling Pokémon. The two were trapped inside a torrent, though only one would be hurt by it. 

"Charge beam!" the boy yelled through the wall of water. "Use it on the water!"

Truth be told, he wasn’t positive she could even hear him. An electric shock lit the torrent from inside though, leaving the challenger relieved to know his Pokémon could. The torrent dissipated. Meowstic looked worse for the wear, Goldeen completely knocked out. The stadium was an odd combination of boos and cheers. Whoever they were cheering for, they were doing so loudly. Nessa looked shocked, but didn’t waste any time withdrawing the fainted Pokémon and sending out her next one, a lithe Arrokuda.

"Charge beam—" the challenger started to call, but the leader was faster this time.

"Bite!" Nessa called. He wasn’t the only one with type advantage, then. 

He watched helplessly as the Arrokuda charged, even faster than the Goldeen that came before it. "Meowstic!" he cried, knowing the psychic type wouldn’t be able to handle too much more. She couldn’t dodge in time, and the bite connected. Genius little Pokémon it was, it still followed its trainer’s interrupted order and crashed a charge beam at the opposing Pokémon as it bit her. The Arrokuda backed off and swam away as soon as their respective attacks connected.

"G-good job out there, Meowstic," the trainer said, withdrawing it into the safety of its Pokéball. He knew how feisty it got when it got knocked out and couldn’t even groom its fur. The little Pokémon purred as it was withdrawn. Now there was a tougher decision to make. Who to send out in Meowstic’s place? Mimikyu silently begged to be let out into the fight from its ball, but the challenger decided not yet. Was it too soon to use the Pokémon that... his... father had given him? He knew that it was what the organization wanted for him to use, but he didn’t want any part of what they were doing. 

Fuck it. These were his Pokémon. He was the one who had befriended them, played with them, battled with them in the wild area, and fed treats to until they grew to trust him as the rest of his team did.

"Syluxio, your turn...!"

The crowd in the stadium gasped when his fairy-electric Pokémon happily bounded onto the field. Blue and black and pink, with spark-tipped ribbons, and long ears protruding from its fluffy head, it wasn’t a Pokémon anyone watching was likely to have seen before. It was a product of years of his father’s hard work, and the only things like it were the species it came from.

He couldn’t even imagine what the incomprehensible murmurs around the stadium might’ve been saying, much less the reporters on television or— oh Arceus... a lot of people were watching him right now. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should’ve kept his go-lucky partner to himself. But the little Pokémon caught his eye with it’s blue and yellow ones before he could even think again about withdrawing it. It looked so happy to be on a real field, in a real battle.

_Just watch me go!_ it seemed to be saying.  _ I’ll make you so proud! _

It couldn’t be seen through his scarf, but it reached his Pokémon partner. A smile, a genuine one. 

The entire ordeal of switching out his Pokémon really only took a few seconds, however long it had felt—which was like forever, to the boy on the field. Arrokuda prepared another attack without mercy, but a hunk of energy stopped it from hitting the unsuspecting Pokémon and startled the fish. Meowstic’s future sight: perfect timing, as always.

"L-let’s show them all how strong you are, Syluxio!" its trainer told it. "Thunderbolt! Just like we practiced!"

The little Pokémon bounced excitedly, its little ribbons floating around it as it sent a "shocking" attack at it’s opponent (as the announcers on the match were saying at least). Arrokuda took the attack, already not holding up too well.

"Interesting..." Nessa mused as she looked over her new opposition. "Arrokuda, fury attack!"

Syluxio looked up at its trainer, who nodded at it reassuringly. Arrokuda charged close. A little closer, a little closer... "Draining Kiss." Arrokuda closed the gap and hit Syluxio with a fury attack. Without even needing to move, besides being thrown back slightly by the attack, the electric fairy landed a draining move, even paralyzing its opponent with the bright current that danced along its feeling ribbons.

"Pull back!" Nessa told her Pokémon. It couldn’t move.

"Thunderbolt!"

────── {. ⋅ ♔ ⋅ .}  ──────

"...f-father?"

The man in question didn’t even turn his chair to face the newcomer in his office, didn’t even set down his pen or look up from his paperwork. He gave no real indication he had noticed anyone enter the room in the first place. 

"Doctor M-Makani told me you wanted t-to see me?"

The older man finished writing at the bottom of the paper he was filling out and sighed as he set his pen aside. "I never said I wanted to see you," he replied sharply as he spun his swivel chair around. His son flinched at the tone. "But I did request to speak to you. I assume you have already been briefed on the region’s league plans to investigate us?"

"Y-yes, father."

"Lose the stutter, boy. You have been keeping up with training those Pokémon I gave you, correct?"

"I have... father..." the boy replied, more careful now to avoid stammering as he spoke. He clutched his dark scarf, utilizing it as always to hide away in.

"Then why," his father challenged, standing. The man towered over his son, who had not taken after his height in the least. The younger boy barely came up to his shoulders, and internally he felt the panic of being completely dwarfed someone who already intimidated his greatly. "Haven’t you used them?"

"I-I..."

"Enough STUTTERING, Alika!"

"I’m s-sorry!" Alika took a couple steps back, just trying to get a bit of distance. Thankfully, his father was behind his desk still, and didn’t bother to close the gap.

"Is this your form of protest?" the older man asked mockingly. "Withholding the Pokémon I personally gifted to you from battle? Trying to deny your connection to this organization?"

"N-no... father... it’s not like that—"

"Wether you like it or not," the man continued like he had never been interrupted, "You are a part of this. You never had the choice. Stop being selfish, and by Arceus, stop hiding behind that FREAKISH ghost type. It’s a fake, hiding away behind that miserable rag. And leave that scarf behind with it."

When Alika had started crying, he wasn’t sure, but a steady stream of tears trailed from his eyes until they were absorbed into his scarf. The Duskball clipped to his side shook. Mimikyu was upset.

"I-I’ll do b-better, father..."

The man’s expression finally softened. Pale blue eyes, one of the only shared traits between the father and son, locked into one another. "Good boy. I believe in you," he praised. It was impossible to tell if he was being earnest or not, at least to Alika. "Just watch out for the Champion and that Professor’s Assistant. They’ll do what they have to for the sake of 'protecting their region,' even though they do not understand what they are up against. Even hurt you."

His son gulped. He had heard many things about the two trainers. Most people said they were quite positive, but their battle records proved just how strong the two of them were. The champion had never lost a single battle. Even seemingly nice people hide things, his father had warned over and over again, don’t let them fool you. "I’ll b-be careful, father. T-t-thank you..."

"Of course you will. Now, go show Hulbury Stadium what my son can do. You’re dismissed."

Alika left the office without another word, frustratedly wiping dried tears off his cheeks with his scarf. 

────── {. ⋅ ♔ ⋅ .}  ──────

When the ruckus cleared, Syluxio stood over a fainted Arrokuda. 

The crowd was so loud that it was getting difficult to even hear himself think. Even his optimistic and naïve Syluxio seemed to have at least a little bit of stage fright, if it’s skittish movements meant anything. Alika wanted to hide, far far away from theGalar region and their huge screens and their huge stadiums. But he couldn’t. Not if he wanted to prove he hadn’t ignored the love and praise his father had bestowed on him just the day before. And not if he wanted to prove to himself and his team that they could do this, wether they were backed by his father or not.

"Looks like I’m down to one last Pokémon," Nessa commented, taking hold of her last Pokéball. The look in her eyes was unrelenting. Like waves crashing against a helpless shore, crushing everything in its path and dragging it away, she wasn’t going to stop no matter what was in her way. Nessa wasn’t ahead here, but if she played her cards right—or if Alika played his cards wrong—she could still potentially take the win. "I’ve been saving the best for last!"

Syluxio scampered back to Alika as Nessa’s Drednaw emerged from its Pokéball, giving a roar as it touched the ground. It was already so much larger than poor Syluxio that it could probably crush the poor electric fairy under one foot. But Nessa wasn’t done.

"Flood the stadium and make it our ocean! Drednaw, time to Dynamax!"

Everyone in the stadium watched in amazement as Drednaw was sucked back into its ball. Everyone knew what was coming next. Alika knew. The crowd knew. Even— okay, Syluxio didn’t know. The little Pokémon was the most shocked of everyone as the Diveball in Nessa’s arms grew and grew, until the leader flings it around behind her. Just like it’s ball, Drednaw grew and grew, landing on the pitch with enough force to nearly knock Alika over. He had to hold his scarf so it wouldn’t fall any lower than it had. The roaring crowd was deafening.

"Syl?!" his little Pokémon cried out, just seeing the massive Dynamax before it.  _You expect me to FIGHT that thing?!_ it seemed to be trying to ask its trainer.

No, Alika didn’t expect it to. Alika didn’t have a wishing star, so he couldn’t Dynamax his own Pokémon. Even Mega Evolution and Z-Moves could only do so much. Dynamaxing was the strongest battle strategy Alika had ever come across, and he knew it was second only to Gigantamax. The only flaw of the unique Galarian strategy was the short time period that a Pokémon could remain in this colossal form. "T-thunder wave," he told Syluxio, hoping to paralyze the Pokémon before it could gear up an attack.

Syluxio sent the charged wave at its opponent just as requested. It had the same hope as its trainer, really. The Drednaw grunted as it was paralyzed, but it didn’t seem to do much in the way of slowing it down.

"Max strike!" Nessa commanded.

Drednaw growled, slashing its head up as it sent a max-force attack directly at Syluxio. It struck true. Max moves always seemed to.

"Luuuux!" the little Pokémon cried out. It was barely standing. Nonetheless, it shook its head and sent Alika a look or raw determination. It wanted to keep fighting. Doubtless, it wouldn’t leave its first real fight without winning or being knocked out in the attempt. 

Alika shrank into himself. He wanted to get Syluxio out of there.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Max Geyser!"

The thunderbolt hit first, causing the Drednaw to cry out in frustration. It had already sent its attack barreling toward its opponent though. The impact took Syluxio out. Rain started pouring over the stadium, which was mildly frustrating, since he had only just dried off from the puzzle. Alika felt awful for letting Syluxio stay, but given the Drednaw’s reaction, that thunderbolt was something to be proud of.

"Good job out there..." he told the Pokéball as he clipped it with his others. The Duskball at his palm shook exitedly. "Yeah, yeah," he huffed with a knowing smile. "Your turn, old friend."

Mimikyu trilled happily as it was finally allowed on the scene. He wasn’t scared of the Dynamax Pokémon, even though he was even smaller than Syluxio. It had the most experience of Alika’s whole team—one battle. But winning against Milo’s Eldegoss was no small feat.

"One last chance, Drednaw! Max Geyser!"

Just as before, a harsh jet of pure water type fury crashed towards his Pokémon. Nessa smiled, knowing how strong her Drednaw’s attacks were. She only miscalculated one thing.

Mimikyu’s "head" flopped to the side. It’s disguise had busted, nothing much more. Nessa groaned in frustration as Drednaw shrank back down to its normal size, and hurting from the Thunderbolt attack. Their time was up.

Mimikyu looked at its trainer. It clutched a small purple crystal in its real, phantom-like hands. Alika nodded, already bringing his arms around him as energy gathered in the band secured to his wrist. He may not have Dynamax, but he did have this. "Mimikyu!" he called, dropping and rising back up again with his hands dangling by his face, in a way reminiscent of a ghost. Just like his old friend had taught him. "Never-Ending Nightmare!"

If Mimikyu could visibly smile, it would be. Gloatingly smirking, even. The entire stadium collectively gasped as it was plunged into total darkness. From the seeming abyss sprang dark purple vines, circling Drednaw like hands. They arched over the already weary Pokémon and crushed it under their weight. The stadium lit for mere moments with purple light.

When light finally broke back through, Drednaw was sprawled helplessly on the field, defeated. Mimikyu trilled and spun happily, soaking up the ruckus applause that the crowd gave. 

Alika sighed as Mimikyu shambled alongside him. "You’re such an attention seeker," he snickered to it. His friend had always been like this. It was fine with his trainer, letting Mimikyu take the spotlight so he could stay relatively away from attention. The two had a very close dynamic, since Alika was a child even.

"Mimi!" Wether the tiny Pokémon was agreeing or offended, even Alika couldn’t tell. Probably a bit of both.

Nessa met the trainer and Pokémon in the center of the field. "I may proudly be the strongest member of this Gym, but I was totally washed away! How...? How can this be...?" She proclaimed. A sighed escaped her. "Now that I've battled you, I think I understand. Continue to seize victories in the Gym Challenge with your Pokémon. I can tell how much you believe in them, and how much they believe in you. You'll want to challenge Kabu, the Fire Type Leader next. You’re stronger than you look!" Nessa giggled. She handed him a water badge with a nod, turning back to her lockers to prepare for the next challenger.

Alika picked Mimikyu up in his arms—it loved to be carried—and the two returned to the gym lobby together.

Two badges down. One father to not disappoint. A team that he couldn’t get away from. And a decision he couldn’t make.

"Mimiiii..." the Pokémon in his arms crooned reassuringly.

And a friend by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think about the style? The more focused POV on one character? It felt like details came more easily. Maybe it was just the fact that action actually happened rather than just filler. Let me know if you liked it and want more chapters from a similar POV!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading (if you made it this far)! Please let me know if you’re interested in more!! I have school and stuff to do and I’m really not sure WHY I decided to start a project like this, so knowing people are looking forward to more would help greatly in knowing if I should actually try to get more content out lol :3


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